There's of course Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield's steps forward in assuming their roles as franchise players, both leading the club with 43 and 42 points, respectively. But Hutson is running the defensive corps, averaging 22:42 per night, which gives him a serious edge on Celebrini and Michkov for the campaign's best rookie.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson is leading all rookie defensemen in scoring, and is eligible to sign a contract extension after July 1st.

Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently released a list of the top under-23-year-old players, and it has set off a backlash online. His list seems to be,

The excellent Anthony Marcotte has just given us the answer we were waiting for regarding the expected call-up with the Montreal Canadiens today. There will be no call-up after all, so we can move on to another matter.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL game to be played on January 18, 2025 on ESPN.